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March is Women's History Month!

Preps for Inaugural HBCU Pigskin Showdown Underway in Marion

The NFL is headed to west Alabama to scout college football players at the inaugural HBCU Pigskin Showdown in Marion.

The HBCU Pigskin Showdown is a post season all-star football game — that will showcase some of the best draft-eligible football players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Co-founder Chris Williams says 84 HBCU players are set to hit the grid iron.

“Of the 32 NFL teams I mean we gotten 27 of the teams that have committed to send scouts to the game. Some teams are sending two scouts to the game,” said Williams.

The game will be played December 19th at David J. Robinson Memorial Stadium at Marion Military Institute.

“We’re working very closely with the town of Marion to make this a successful event,” said MMI President Col. David Mollahan.

“And just like all the other schools in the Alabama community college system, Marion Military Institute has a very close and symbiotic relationship with our local community. And we’re very proud of the opportunity to bring some visibility both to our college but also to this very historic and important community in Marion.”

Donald Bennett is the chairman of the board of Main Street Marion.

“This event has the potential to bring in a large group of people. We’re looking at anywhere between four and six thousand people that will be at the game, that could come downtown, see what we have to offer. Those are dollars coming to our community.

“They’re going to be eating in your restaurants. They’re going to be staying at your hotels,” said Williams.

The HBCU Pigskin Showdown will actually be a four-day event that will also include several activities in Selma.

Williams says the event also serves as a way to showcase two historic cities from the voting rights movement.

For more information about the HBCU Pigskin Showdown — go to hbcupigskinshowdown.com.